Akimbo

For other uses, see Akimbo (disambiguation).

Akimbo is a human body position in which the hands are on the hips and the elbows are bowed outward, or bent or bowed in a more general sense^{[citation needed]}.

A person with arms akimbo

Origins

The term was recorded first in the English language around 1400 in The Tale of Beryn: "The hoost ... set his hond in kenebowe." In the 17th century, the word was spelled on kenbow, a kenbow, a kenbol, a kenbold, or on kimbow, but may have other non-European origins. The forms akembo and akimbo are found in the 18th century, with akimbo gradually becoming the standard.

One suggestion is that it comes from the Icelandic phrase in keng boginn, "bent into a crook", and it is possible that this phrase, or its close cognate in another North Germanic language, was borrowed in the meaning of hands bent to the waist.

Other suggestions trace akimbo to another Middle English word, cambok, "a curved stick or staff" (from Medieval Latin cambuca) or to a cam bow, "in a crooked bow". However, there is no extant form of akimbo spelled with cam; and the earliest form of the word, kenebowe, is a long way from cam. The bo part of the word is presumably related to bow, but no connection has ever been documented.

The Middle English Dictionary, with some noted uncertainty, proposes that akimbo might be related to Old French chane or kane "pot" or "jug" respectively, combined with Middle English boue, "bow". In that case, the word akimbo originally meant "bent like the handle of a jug"; however, there is no evidence for this, either. In spanish, "arms akimbo" can be adequately translated as "brazos en jarra", which means "arms like a jar".

Another possible origin of the word comes from the Kongo language. The ancient "bakhimba" society of the Kongo people are the guards who supposedly watch their posts with their hands on their hips in "akimbo" pose. Additional evidence for this line of argument comes from the use of the term "bakimba" for this posture in the Black Bahamas community, and many other African-American communities. (Thompson, Robert Farris. 1988. "The Circle and the Branch": Renascent Kongo-American Art.)

Until recent times (the 1980s or thereabouts), the term was almost exclusively arms akimbo, with little involvement of the legs; it seems that it was first creatively used to describe sitting cross-legged. More recently, the term has been adapted still further, giving a second sense of limbs being splayed out rather than merely bent. A good example of an Akimbo stance can be seen on the Akimbo Financial, Inc logo.

Media

In a 1996 episode of Seinfeld, the character Elaine Benes played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, was dancing with her "limbs flailing and arms akimbo".

Following the success of Action Quake 2, from 1998 the word was adopted into computer gaming in reference to the dual wielding of two weapons. It was mentioned prior to 1998 in the game Blood, as a power-up called the "Guns Akimbo". For example, in a first person shooter game, the player might choose a "pistols akimbo" option to wield one gun in each hand. In Far Cry Instincts when a player is dual-wielding weapons it is called Akimbo, and in Left 4 Dead there is an achievement for playing a campaign with only pistols, called Akimbo Assassin, and in Counter Strike:Source there is an achievement: Akimbo King. Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars feature an experience reward called Akimbo Pistols, which are the only dual wield weapons in the games. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 features dual-wielding pistols and other one handed weapons, with the Akimbo attachment, found on Submachine Guns, Handguns, Machine Pistols and sawed-off shotguns.

During the 1990s the phrase gained comic notoriety in the UK when comics The League of Gentlemen used it for the name of a children's educational theatre company, Legz Akimbo. In addition, a contortionist named "Legs Akimbo" was a featured character in Howie Schneider's comic strip, "The Circus of P.T. Bimbo."

The term appears again in the animated television series Freakazoid!. In the show, one of the many camp-style villains featured was Arms Akimbo, who is a spoiled model turned extortionist with an Edward G. Robinson-esqe voice. The origin of the character's moniker comes from his backstory: After years of posing, he was left with his arms frozen in a jaunty pose, hands on hips, and would strike with his over sized elbows in combat.

In 2003, alternative music band They Might Be Giants wrote and performed a book-and-CD combination entitled Bed, Bed, Bed. In this, the song entitled "Happy Doesn't Have to Have an Ending" features the lyric, "I'm a long-haired hippie kitten. I'm on a secret mission to make a valentine for everyone on earth. I'm sitting in my window with my kitten arms akimbo. My paw is tired from this valentines' work." (They Might Be Giants, 2003)

In his song Forgive The Child from his 2000 album Daffodils singer/songwriter Simon Hopper wrote; 'A beautiful, blond teenage girl, lying on Margaret's dining-room floor / Naked below her slender waist, legs akimbo, not saying no.' In this setting, the meaning is unambiguous, meaning splayed rather than crooked.

In The Simpsons episode titled "Team Homer", Mr. Burns is seen limping with Smithers stating that he would be unable to bowl with the Pin Pals that night as his "old gimpy knee has gone akimbo again". In an attempt to prevent Mr. Burns' poor bowling skills from ruining the team's chances at victory, Moe, disguised in a ski mask, assaults Burns' left knee with a cane. Ironically, the "precision assault popped it back into place" and enabled Mr. Burns to play that night.

On the album Headseed, the second studio release by moe., the first track is called "Akimbo". These lyrics, written by Chuck Garvey are featured in the chorus:

Couch...Fatboy...Arms akimbo

Is...Fatboy...We're in limbo

Satan...Fatboy...Arms akimbo

Couch is Satan...We're in limbo